Redskins fall to Bears but ward off the injury bug

The Redskins breathed a little easier after Brian Orakpo’s injury was revealed to be minor.
(Jonathan Newton - WASHINGTON POST)
It was clear that the Washington Redskins would be facing a tougher challenge on Saturday evening against the Chicago Bears, and that mostly turned out to be true: The first-team units were outplayed in the 33-31 loss, though the reserves played well enough to almost pull out a win.

The most important news to come out of the game was that Brian Orakpo and Brandon Meriweather will recover from injuries suffered in the game. The moments following their injuries were very tense — both went down in ways that seemed to suggest more serious injuries — as both players are very important pieces to this team’s success.

We know why Orakpo is so crucial to the Redskins: He brings a presence from the outside and, whether he makes the tackle or sack, he’s a very disruptive force.

As for Meriweather, the Redskins need two guys to step up at safety. A Pro Bowler in 2009 and 2010 with the Patriots, it would be nice to see Meriweather return back to that form this season.

Despite the loss to the Bears on the scoreboard, the Redskins will improve. It’s good that they received a dose of reality; at least it didn’t come at the price of losing key players.

Next up: The third dress rehearsal of the preseason on Saturday against the Colts.

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Comments our editors find particularly useful or relevant are displayed in Top Comments, as are comments by users with these badges: . Replies to those posts appear here, as well as posts by staff writers.